Xavi Hernandez called for better regulations of playing surfaces after he was criticised for complaining about the state of Getafe‘s pitch last weekend.
Barcelona were held to a goalless draw at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, with Xavi moaning after the game about the dry, long grass not being helped by playing in the afternoon sun.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
The Barca coach has regularly criticised pitches which are not conducive to a passing game and insists he will continue to do so regardless of how much others mock him.
“I am criticised for everything,” Xavi said in a news conference ahead of Sunday’s game against Atletico Madrid. “It does not annoy me at all. No matter how many memes they make about me, I won’t keep quiet.
“A dry pitch does not benefit us. It is a question for [Getafe coach Quique] Sanchez Flores: Why not water the pitch? Why have the grass longer than usual?
“I won’t stop until there is a rule in place for playing surfaces. There is in other sports. In golf, if the grass is long, they cut it. If Lebron [James] has a wet court, they dry it. If it rains in tennis, they stop.
“And [in football] we could make puddles, but who does that benefit? I won’t keep quiet. It’s no wonder younger fans don’t watch entire games. If we want to put on a show, we have to take care of the sport.”
Barca’s draw against Getafe was their second successive stalemate in LaLiga and their third winless game in a row in all competitions, but Xavi said the result was not important.
“We could have drawn [with a better pitch], it’s not about how the game ended, I also say it when we win,” he added.
Barca remain 11 points clear at the top of LaLiga with just nine games to play, but, after back-to-back draws, Xavi wants to see a reaction from his players against Atletico at Camp Nou on Sunday as they close in on a first league title since 2019.
“We have not won our last two league games so we are extra motivated for this one,” Xavi said. “LaLiga is at stake. We have to say: ‘We are here.’ We have to show our identity.
“We have not been at the level we want for a few matches, so the message is clear. We must be recognisable, return to our roots, lose fewer balls, generate more in attack and play with a high defensive line.”
